Sunday, September 6, 2015

Tips for a Troubled Tummy

Recently, one of my close friends has been experiencing stomach problems. Many things that she has been eating lately have caused her stomach to feel nauseous and unsettled.  So, I took it upon myself to look up some different types of foods that would help her and her digestive problems. After a few days of following this simple diet, my friend’s digestive problems ceased to exist! Hopefully if you run into any digestive troubles, this will help you, as well!

I found something called the B.R.A.T. Diet. “B” stands for bananas, “”R stands for rice, “A” stands for applesauce, and “T” stands for toast. Bananas are a great food source when you’re having tummy troubles. They are loaded with potassium, which helps with staying hydrated after vomiting or having diarrhea. Bananas also have a high sugar content, which can help a person not eating very much, due to digestive problems, keep a pertinent amount of calories in their system.
Rice has a soothing effect to an upset stomach because of its high starch content. It also does not sit in the digestive tract very long, which helps decrease the chance of acid reflux.  Rice is not the only starchy food that can help soothe a sore tummy. Other starches such as potatoes, oats and crackers are other viable options. If the person with the upset stomach has high blood pressure, however, crackers would not be the best choice.

Applesauce is next in the B.R.A.T. Diet. Applesauce, like rice, is easily and quickly digested. It also contains pectin, which is most prevalent in the skin of the apple. Pectin helps things move a long in the digestive tract very smoothly. So, if constipation is the cause of your upset stomach, apples will definitely help!

Toast goes hand in hand with rice. Plain toast is easily digested, which means it will not sit in your system for very long, thus decreasing the chance of acid reflux. Once you add butter or jam to your toast, however, its effectiveness decreases.
Some other great things to consume when you’re having tummy troubles include soup and coconut water. The liquid and salt combination in soup will help to keep you hydrated. When salt is introduced to the bloodstream, it helps keep liquids in, a very important aspect, especially when vomiting and having diarrhea due to nausea. Coconut water contains natural sugars along with electrolytes, such as potassium. Vitamin C is also a component of this stomach-soothing beverage too.


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